PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island’s new Speaker of the House laid out a number of business-friendly priorities this morning in a speech at a Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island’s new Speaker of the House laid out a number of business-friendly priorities this morning in a speech at a Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

In his first public speech as House Speaker, Rep. Nicholas A. Mattiello, D-Cranston, told an audience gathered at Marriott Downtown Providence that he favors cuts to Rhode Island’s corporate and sales taxes, a lessening of the financial impact of its estate tax rules and making other regulatory reforms as ways to spur the Rhode Island economy.

“I am tired of seeing Rhode Island last in unemployment and near the bottom of business rankings,” Mattiello said in his prepared remarks.

Legislative efforts should focus on lowering the state’s unemployment rate from 9 percent, currently the nation’s worst, he said, and raising Rhode Island’s rank near the bottom of national business surveys to the 25th spot.

Mattiello grabbed the Speaker’s post in a hasty election held in late March, just a few days after Rep. Gordon D. Fox resigned from the powerful leadership post after being enveloped by a criminal investigation.

“If it doesn’t serve our economy well, it’ll have a hard time getting past me,” Mattiello said of proposals in the House of Representatives.

Regulatory and education reform will be among his priorities for the remainder of the General Assembly session.

The new Speaker made several references to Worcester Technical High School as a model for workforce development. Last week, Mattiello and other Rhode Island legislators toured the school, which is winning praise for its approach to career training.

Regardless of their importance to the state’s economy, reforms have to be measured by their fiscal impact, he said.

“We can’t get rid of all taxes,” he said. ”There are taxes that are essential to a thriving economy.

“You have to find the right balance.”

To help lawmakers strike that proper balance, business executives have to get involved with the legislative process inside the State House

“If you want your concerns addressed, I’m sorry, but your going to have to be there,” Mattiello said.